UNDER THE SEA

"How interesting,"

The merman who had cautiously raised his hand flinched at Marcus' words, presuming the worst. Regret instantly showed itself onto his face, and Lia could see his whole body trembling at that moment. She couldn't help but pity him.

Everyone in the crowd watched as the king's tail swang left and right swiftly before he descended down the water and swam toward the young merman. The current around him didn't even ripple as he moved, and his speed had almost frightened Lia.

That alone required an insane amount of muscle and control. And even though everyone had heard of the bloody fight that the king carried years ago, when the war was still ongoing, it was still a shock to see him this merged with the elements around him.

Lia's mother was also able to move that elegantly, but her speed couldn't compare to the king's agility. And she was a warrior at that too.

When the merman saw how the king appeared suddenly in front of him, he pulled himself backward, trying to avoid touching his highness.

"I-I-I," he pathetically stuttered.

The slight squint in the king's eyes deepened, and the merman was able to see that Marcus didn't possess completely black eyes as everyone said. Because, in the depth of the rings in his eyes, the merman could see bloody red reflecting in the light.

The bloody red reminded him of a hungry shark. Completely bloodthirsty.

When that notion alone came to his head, it frightened him so much to the point that all color had faded from his face.

"Why are you afraid?" it was a simple question that the king asked. A very simple one, yet there was no answer for it. There was no real reason to why the merman would fear the king other than the words that circled around the crowds and finally reached his ears or the simple fact that their dear king was an eccentric being. He gave off an aura that made everyone hold back their breath and watch their words.

"No need for fear, your question was right in its place." Suddenly, all tension disappeared and the king laughed joyfully. He swam right back to his original place — much slower this time, Lia noticed — and spread his arms around him as he said, "The reward will be a wish. Any wish the candidate wants will be delivered. Whatever the cost was or the durability of it. Of course, you cannot wish for more wishes," he said the last line as if it was a joke. Nobody laughed and Lia saw the corners of his mouth shake a little. "And most importantly, you will be honored with the title of 'the sea savior'."

The sea savior.

That almost made Lia not want to participate. She controlled her frown from appearing, but still cringed internally at such a title.

"What a loser," her mother behind her murmured, and Lia almost choked on her laugh as she tried to hide it. She instantly jerked her head toward the king, to see if he heard what her mother had said.

There was no way her dear mother would let the king hear what she had said.

She saw the corners of his mouth shake even more and wrinkles appeared on his temples as his eyes maintained their 'joyful' state.

"Now," he said from between his gritted teeth, throwing a glare at somewhere behind Lia. It was so fast that it took only a few seconds for him to return back to being happy. He resumed his speech, "Anyone who would like to participate, please raise your hand."

Lia looked at the hopeful expression that the king wore, but then turned her eyes onto the crowd. Everyone around her stood frozen in their place, and nobody made eye contact with another.

'No, No,'

'Obviously no,'

'I can't,'

'Father will kill me; my mother will kill me; even my grandfather will rise from the dead and kill me,'

'You will probably kill yourself when you go out there too,'

They were lucky that the king couldn't identify those who were thinking these thoughts in the crowds. The expression on the king's face got darker by the second, even to the point where he lost his 'precious' smile.

"Mommy, what is the surface like?" Lia heard a kid ask nearby. She turned to see the mother's complicated expression.

"It is... ugh… a unique place indeed." The mother chuckled nervously, looking around her for help. The ones near her all looked away, knowing how hard it was to answer this question in this time and place.

"What type of unique place?" The mother opened her mouth and closed it a few times, completely oblivious as for how to answer this question in front of the king. Since the crowds were silent, her child's voice was loud enough for everyone to hear. Yet, because his mental abilities weren't that strong, luckily it didn't reach far enough to reach the king.

The mother, who possessed blue hair and a matching tail, raised her hand and covered her son's mouth. "Let's not talk about it now. When we get back home, I will educate you about this subject, okay?" She wore a forced smile.

The kid looked like he wanted to speak more, but because his mouth was blocked, he only nodded silently and waited until his mother removed his hand from his mouth.

Suddenly Lia saw the mother shiver intensely, and the current around her trembled. It only took Lia seconds to understand what was happening, and she looked upward toward the king. His eyes were dripping with darkness, again reminding Lia of the deep ocean.

When his smile vanished, the citizen's fear of their king became reasonable. He looked so silent and intense when his eyes were this sharp. It almost reminded Lia of an unpredictable crazy animal, stalking its prey.

The mother continued to shiver in fear and continued to do so until the king withdrew his gaze from the small family.

"No one?" the king asked when he saw the shared silence. He acted as if what happened seconds ago was nothing. If it wasn't for the silent gasps that the mother released, she would have thought she imagined it too.

At that point, no one dared to raise their hands, and if anything, it made matters turn to worse.

This was the perfect chance for Lia. She felt her throat dry up as the thought of no one wanting this opportunity. It was golden and was as if the gods were handing it right to her hands.

She felt her fingers twitch as she willed herself to her hand up. She can't be too late, or someone might snatch it right out of her hands.

She heard the king sigh and she knew that it was a sign of him almost giving up. Lia forgot her fears and complex thoughts and forced her hand upward.

"I would like to do it."